2. Tegan and Sara, Heartthrob – Way more pop-sounding and danceable stuff from the Canadian duo, yet with lyrics detailing love gone terribly wrong. Taylor Swift wishes she had written songs as sharp as “Closer,” “I Was a Fool” and “I Couldn’t Be Your Friend.”

3. AFI, Burials – A painfully honest record filled with hints of betrayal, despair and ultimately loss (see “I Hope You Suffer”). The overall matured sound, on standouts like “17 Crimes” and “Heart Stops,” is far from the quartet’s early screaming punk days, leaning more heavily on its ’80s influences, especially Depeche Mode.

4. Capital Cities, In a Tidal Wave of Mystery – A completely fun record featuring that inescapable radio hit “Safe and Sound.” These L.A. guys brought their live party into the studio for an irresistible debut, capped by key tracks like “I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo” and “Farrah Fawcett Hair.”

5. Kacey Musgraves, Same Trailer Different Park – This country newcomer’s songwriting is sassy, confident and bold. “Merry Go ‘Round” is heartbreaking, “Blowin’ Smoke” toe-tapping, and “Follow Your Arrow,” as silly as it is, still boasts great words of wisdom about doing what you want coming from a 25-year-old. A major breakout performance.

6. Paramore,Paramore – Vocalist Hayley Williams reveals herself as a true powerhouse as the band discards some of its rock feel to explore a more pop/dance direction. The results, on highlights like “Grow Up” and “Still Into You,” are catchy, energetic, ridiculously cute.

7. Arctic Monkeys, AM – An incredibly well-crafted work with some of the best lines of the year, like this one from “Do I Wanna Know”: “Baby, we both know that the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can’t say tomorrow day.”

8. Avenged Sevenfold, Hail to the King – O.C.’s most successful metal outfit explores new territory with its sixth studio effort, leaning heavily on new drummer Arin Ilejay and bassist Johnny Christ for a bigger, more booming sound a la AC/DC. Zacky Vengeance and Sinister Gates still team for stellar soaring guitar solos. Frontman M. Shadows has sharpened his chops; now he sings more than screams. Yet it isn’t a total departure from previous works – there’s still plenty of Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden peppered in.

9. Ghost B.C., If You Have Ghost – A five-track EP produced by Foo Fighters chief Dave Grohl that includes wickedly entertaining covers of ABBA, Depeche Mode, Army of Lovers, Roky Erickson and a live version of the Swedish group’s own “Secular Haze.” The cover art is also epic, vocalist Papa Emeritus II, in signature skull makeup and pope garb, looking like the lead in a remake of Nosferatu.

10. Nine Inch Nails, Hesitation Marks – Tipped by the self-explanatory “Came Back Haunted,” this was an epic return from Trent Reznor after a five-year hiatus. Lyrically dark and musically heavy as you’d expect, it’s still leavened with the tiniest bits of hope, from the fragile ballad “Find My Way” to the desperate “All Time Low” and the self-realizing “I Would for You.”

ROBERT KINSLER1. Sigur Rós, Kveikur – Epic, inspired, heroic and sweeping in ways that defy easy description. Fans of the Icelandic troupe’s previous albums will find that this one rivals them, and at times is even heavier via distortion that has been fused into symphonic soundscapes that have become the group’s territory alone.

2. Johnny Marr, The Messenger – So wonderful that it’s a wonder why he didn’t turn down participation in post-Smiths projects such as The The, Electronic, the Cribs and Modest Mouse in order to focus on completing a solo project much sooner.

3. Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite, Get Up! – Few blues pairings have ever yielded the power, ambition and magical music-making achieved by singer-songwriter-guitarist Harper and the harmonica legend on this character-centered concept album, whose power will only grow over time.

4. Biffy Clyro, Opposites – Blending the artfulness of Doves and Radiohead with the firepower of Rush, this Scottish outfit might be the world’s first great alt-prog band. The trio’s latest wraps introspective lyrics with melodic choruses and dynamic breaks.

5. Paul McCartney, New – His first studio outing of all original songs since 2007’s Memory Almost Full finds Sir Paul has lost none of his magic as he chronicles the here-and-now in the bouncy “Queenie Eye,” reflective folk gem “Early Days” and the poptronica standout “Appreciate.”

6. Toad the Wet Sprocket, New Constellation – Having last issued a full-length studio effort in 1997, the beloved Santa Barbara quartet proved with this brilliant return that there’s plenty of creative life left in them. The glorious track “The Moment,” the probing “Rare Bird” and ambitious “Enough” are among the standouts.

7. Richard X. Heyman, X – One of power pop’s often unsung champions recorded his aptly titled 10th album in his home studio in New York City, performing all vocals and playing all instrumental parts. Even more impressive are the songs, with the yearning “When Denny Dropped Out of the Scene” and the intoxicating “Be the One” among my favorites.

8. The Mavericks, In Time – There is an explosive and joyful quality to this group’s first album in a decade, with singer-guitarist Raul Malo leading them through genre-defying material that is a true mix of honky-tonk, country & Western and retro rock ’n’ roll, sprinkled with Latin flavors that help this one intoxicate from start to finish.

10. The Civil Wars, The Civil Wars – Although they are on indefinite hiatus, this Grammy-winning duo (singer-songwriter guitarist John Paul White and singer-keyboardist Joy Williams) followed up their amazing 2011 debut Barton Hollow with an equally thrilling sophomore effort that’s a bit more rocking than its predecessor. But those sublime harmonies and their bewitching songcraft remains.